What a Shame
by wintershine
Summary: But all he focuses on is her, and maybe that's not a good thing, because it's all hitting him now, how pretty she is, and smart, and how she challenges him but in a good way and how she doesn't take herself too seriously, and he better stop thinking like this because he made his choice and he loves Jo, it's just that, well, it's pretty easy to love Jo when Lucy's not around.


**Hello! Quick one-shot inspired by Big Time Decision, with a little help from Kesha's "Die Young." Enjoy!**

**T for alcohol and a bit of swearing. Begins and ends with Jendall; Kucy in the middle. Fits into canon. **

What a Shame

* * *

He hasn't seen her yet.

She'd watched from the bar as they walked in, hand in hand, the pretty blond and the pretty blonde.

They really are a beautiful couple, she thinks, not without a hint of bitter edge in the back of her mind. She signals to the guy behind the bar, flashing a smile and leaning forward ever so slightly. He smiles at her and pours the drink, sliding it smoothly to her and watching appreciatively as she knocks it back with ease. He's always impressed when chicks can handle their liquor.

Sated for the moment, Lucy Stone lets her eyes flicker back to where she first saw Kendall Knight and Jo Taylor. He looks-dare she say it?-bored. And then, of course, there's Jo herself. Smiling widely, giggling with the girlfriends who've come to greet her, not noticing her boyfriend's disinterest in the place. Kendall leans down to say something in Jo's ear, fighting to be heard over the loud music, and she waves him off, turning back to her friend quickly.

He makes his way through the crowd, towards the bar where Lucy is standing, and she quickly signals for another drink, swallowing the shot and feeling the burn on her tongue and all the way down her throat. She watches him weaving through the dozens of people between him and his destination, never moving from her spot, though she wonders what exactly she's expecting out of this. Kendall orders a drink and leans down on the bar before looking around and finally noticing her. She's staring at him.

Jaw drop. Heart stop. The eye lock.

He blinks in surprise, frozen, unsure whether he should speak to her or just grab his drink and go back to Jo. They hadn't exchanged words ever since… _that _day, as they both like to think of it. The day he made his choice.

"Lucy," he starts, gripping his beer bottle tightly before taking a deep swig.

The bartender's already got Lucy's next shot ready, having been watching her long enough to learn her tell, her sign that she was going to order another one. She takes it with a smirk and raises it toward Kendall before downing it. The music blares all around them and though there are probably a thousand things they need to say to each other, this is neither the time nor place, so she slides her small glass back to the bartender and walks up to Kendall, yanking on his tie lightly so he'll bend down closer to her level.

"Dance with me."

The voice in his head nagging him, telling him to go find Jo, disappears altogether as he allows the small girl to lead him into the middle of the packed dance floor, where, surrounded by strangers, they get lost in the beat and the flashing lights that he would under usual circumstances find irritating. But tonight all he focuses on is her, and maybe that's not a good thing, because it's all kind of hitting him now, how pretty she is, and smart, and funny, and how she challenges him but in a _good _way and how she doesn't take herself too seriously, and fuck, he better stop thinking like this because he _made _his choice and he loves Jo, he really does, but it's just that—god, he's going to hell for this—it's pretty easy to love Jo when Lucy's not around.

Someone jostles her from behind and she stumbles into Kendall, who instinctively wraps his arms around her to keep her from falling. She regains her balance but he doesn't let her go; they just fall into a new rhythm of swaying to the music, bodies pressed together.

_I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums… _

The bass is so loud Lucy can feel it in her bones, and she can feel it in Kendall's heartbeat pressed against her chest. _This is wrong, _comes the sudden, sneaking voice. _He has a girlfriend. _Ah, but she argues with herself, the alcohol in her bloodstream making it easier to justify, no one's forcing him to be here.

And so they aren't. Because the song ends and he has ample opportunity to disentangle himself from Lucy, if that's what he wants, but no, all he does is finish his beer and shove it into some random passerby's hand so that he doesn't have to deal with holding it anymore. They're lost deeper and deeper into the crowd, bodies pressing them in from all sides, sweaty and drunk and just _alive, _without a care in the world, and it makes him feel like that could be him, too.

_Oh, what a shame that you came here with someone…_

But it's not him. It's not and it can't be, and they both seem to realize it at the same time. Lucy can see the hint of regret in his as he removes his arms from around her and clears his throat, and he sees the small bit of hurt in her eyes as reality sets back in. He's here with his girlfriend, who he loves, and no matter how much they wonder what it would be like if things were different… they just aren't. Nothing more can or will come of this.

"I should go find Jo…"

She doesn't even hear the words because her ears filled with the noises around them, but she reads them on his lips, sees that his eyes are already scanning the tables around the walls to locate her. Kendall looks back down at her when she touches his hand.

"One more dance?"

I shouldn't, he thinks. But… "Okay," he nods.

_But while you're here in my arms, let's make the most of the night… _

A new song starts and the lights continue to flash. Lucy wraps her arms around Kendall's neck and his own arms find her waist again as they move against each other, bodies in sync as they both try not to think about what they could be missing out on.

When it ends, they both stop moving and just stand still, looking at each other for a brief moment until Lucy, holding his head in her hands, goes up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss. She presses her lips to his for one, two, three seconds before letting go and stepping back, watching as he brings his hand up to his mouth to touch the spot as if he can still feel it.

"Bye, Kendall," is all she says before disappearing into the crowd.

He tries to follow her with his eyes, but the place is still packed even well after midnight, and strobe lights coupled with the fact that she's so small make it impossible to see where she ends up. He shakes himself out of it and makes his own way off the dance floor, catching a glimpse of his girlfriend sitting at a table with some friends and skirting people left and right to get to her.

Jo smiles brightly when she sees him, and he smiles right back, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She scoots over so that he can take the seat next to her, unaware that anything is amiss. He holds her hand on top of the table, sparing a last glance up to the bar where he spies Lucy one last time, accepting a drink from the bartender while at the same time handing him back what must be his phone. He snaps a picture of her and then pockets the device, leaning over the counter to talk to her.

"Everything okay?" Jo asks him, raising her voice above the noise.

"Yeah," Kendall says, tearing his eyes away from and bringing his attention back to Jo. "All good."


End file.
